Jane Patterson is the Assistant Professor of New Testament at Seminary of the Southwest. In addition to teaching Bible courses at the seminary, Jane serves as co-director of The Workshop, a ministry that guides laity in using the Bible to discern how to live faithfully.

Lately I’ve noticed that what I thought was an elite club of which I was the only member turns out to be a very popular club, with each member assuming he or she is the only one. This is the club of people for whom Lent is their favorite liturgical season. In whispers and asides, we are beginning to locate one another and to proclaim our allegiance: “I don’t mean to sound weird or anything, but really, Lent is my favorite season.”

Ashley Urquidi is a middler in the M.Div. program. Ashley comes to Seminary of the Southwest from the Diocese of Maryland.

This holiday season has been bittersweet for me, in many ways. There is a tear in the family I was born into, one I fear may be irreparable. And yet, despite this, I believe I now see more clearly than I ever have before. Christmas is about love. This makes sense, right? But sometimes it takes a travesty to see that Christmas isn't just about any kind of love, it's about the love God offers us through the birth of His Son. That is deep God-love, the kind of love that our language fails to convey in single (or multiple) words. It is self-sacrificing and self-emptying. It is the courage to make yourself vulnerable to pain and sorrow, to move from safety and security into chaos simply to better the lives of those you care for. Giving and receiving this love requires, demands, the giving of yourself.

We’re staying in the rectory of St. Simeon’s Episcopal Church in Croix de Bouquets. St Simeon’s sits within a high wall with its school at the back and the rectory across the parking lot. I am working on drawing a map of everything inside the wall for you, but it isn’t finished yet. The wall between the parking lot and the rectory is topped with broken bottles and two guards stand watch over the gates at night.

Ricardo was one of the first children in the Nutrition Program. He is from Crochu, a small, poor town in the Mountains. Carmel brought his mother, baby sister Crystal and his other siblings to Croix-de-Boutique to try and save his life. Carmel and her team were very successful and his is thriving! He is now 10 years old and in the 3rd grade. He has befriended Kellaura and they play lots of cards together!

We have now been in Haiti for a full 24 hours. It has been so wonderful to see all of my friends and introduce them to Kellaura. I just feel comfortable here and very at peace. The pace is slow, there isn’t an agenda, and even though this is so against my personality, I am just with fine with going with whatever happens.